


The Picture

by Rakshi



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Early Work, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-03
Updated: 2011-12-03
Packaged: 2017-10-26 20:06:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/287343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rakshi/pseuds/Rakshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While shooting 'All I Want' in Vancouver Elijah was photographed snuggling with Franka Potente. And Sean didn't like it one bit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Picture

Sean was trying not to feel upset. He'd talked to Elijah in Vancouver twice since then. He had told Elijah a thousand times that he wasn't angry. They'd laughed about the fact that at least 15 people had seen fit to send it to Sean in email. Orli had sent it 3 times. Dom, with great forbearance, had only sent it twice, both times with the caption: 'Bwaaa! Haa! Haa!' The picture.

He actually looked rather cute in the picture. Geeky and sweet with his new John Lennon glasses. The girl looked rather sure of herself. And the kiss sure didn't look like any big deal. He's seen Elijah kiss Dom with more passion.

 

 

"Then why do I feel so . . ." Sean struggled to find a word that would describe his feelings, and failed.

He knew he needed to get over it. Elijah would be here soon and since they'd already had the conversation 5 times, he had no reason to think they needed to have it again.

"Jealous?" Sean asked himself. "Am I?" He sighed, feeling disgusted with himself. He knew, if he was honest, that he probably was, at least a little. "But it's more than that." Sean thought.

An enormous clatter at the front door announced Elijah's arrival. "Hey!" he yelled. "Anyone here except ME?"

Sean dashed into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks, laughing. Elijah was literally barricaded behind stacked up piles of luggage.

"How the FUCK did you get all that in here without me hearing?" Sean asked, trying to remove some of the bags. "Jesus!" he laughed. "I can't even reach you to hug you!"

"Oh, yeah?" Elijah said with a grin. He climbed on top of the luggage pile and leaped into Sean's arms.

"God." Sean whispered, holding Elijah as tight as he could. "God. I'm glad you're home."

Elijah didn't say anything, but Sean could feel him trembling. His face was buried in Sean's neck and he showed no signs of wanting to let go.

"Come sit on the couch." Sean said finally, pulling on Elijah's arms. "Come on, baby. Come sit with me."

Elijah released him after a moment and followed him to the couch, stopping to grab a Pepsi from behind the bar.

"You tired?" Sean asked him.

Elijah shrugged and flopped down next to Sean on the couch. "Kind of. I'm just so relieved to be here."

"Why relieved?"

Elijah shrugged again. "Because this whole shoot was . . . " he shook his head.

"Was what?" Sean asked him.

"Depressing." Elijah said finally.

"Really?" Sean was surprised. "I thought you made some friends there. I thought you had some fun."

Elijah shrugged. "Not much." He said quietly. "Friends? No. Not really. There's no one in that group that I'll keep in touch with I don't think."

"NO one?" Sean asked with a wink.

Elijah glanced at him quickly, his eyes dark. "What's THAT supposed to mean?" he snapped.

"Uh . . . I . . . just " Sean stammered, surprised by his response. "Nothing. I was just teasing you."

"I'm so fucking SICK of answering questions about that fucking picture!" Elijah spewed. "Jesus. I'm told . . . TOLD, mind you, that I need to be seen with a girl now and then. So I go out with a girl to make everyone happy. I barely pecked her for fuck's sake and now half the world has us engaged." Elijah shook his head. "Even YOU!" he spouted, glaring at Sean. "Even YOU thought it was a big deal."

"I did?" Sean said quietly. "When did I say that?"

Elijah looked at him. "You THOUGHT it! Don't tell me you didn't!"

"Oh?" Sean said, coldly. "I did? You read my thoughts now do you? From a thousand fucking miles away?"

Elijah lowered his eyes.

"I'll tell you something." Sean said. "I didn't think it was a big deal until right this second. Now, hearing you talk to me like this . . . I'm beginning to wonder, Elijah." Even though his voice remained low, Elijah had never heard Sean sound like this before.

Elijah looked at him and winced. He suddenly felt scared. He'd rarely ever seen Sean angry or even annoyed. But now his eyes were narrow and his brow was furrowed. Elijah gulped. Sean was pissed.

"Sean," Elijah began . . .

"No, Elijah." Sean told him. "I don't want to hear it. I don't deserve to be accused this way." He started to get up but Elijah grabbed his arm.

"Sean, please!" Elijah pulled Sean back to the couch and threw his arms around his neck. "Please don't go. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Sean allowed himself to be pulled back to the couch. He didn't return Elijah's embrace at first, but finally relented and wrapped his arms around Elijah's waist.

They sat quietly for a moment. Then Elijah looked up at Sean a bit sheepishly.

"Sorry, Seanie." He said softly. "I'm REALLY sorry." He dropped his head and suddenly Sean felt terrible.

"Hey." He said softly, lifting Elijah's face up for a kiss. "It's OK. I'm sorry too. I got angry. I shouldn't have." He looked into Elijah's eyes for a moment, and then dropped his hands.

"And . . ." he said slowly. "I'm sorry for suggesting that I thought the picture was a big deal. I really didn't think that."

Elijah smiled, obviously relieved, and once again Sean felt terrible.

"Wait." He said. "Wait." He sighed and looked away from Elijah toward the wall.

Elijah looked at him oddly. "What's wrong?"

"I just lied to you." Sean said. "And I feel like absolute shit about it."

"Lied to me?" Elijah said, voice rising. "Lied? YOU?"

"I'm sorry, Lijah." Sean said softly.

"You DID think I was having an affair with her!" Elijah said, obviously upset.

"NO!" Sean told him firmly. "NO! I absolutely did NOT think that!"

"Then WHAT?!" Elijah yelped. "Jeez, Sean!"

Sean was silent for a long moment, and then he turned and looked straight into Elijah's eyes.

"I felt hurt by that picture." He said. "Very hurt, actually."

"But, Sean . . ." Elijah began.

"No." Sean interrupted him. "Don't bother telling me that you weren't having some big affair with her. I know that. That's not why I felt hurt."

"Then WHAT?" Elijah said again.

"I feel hurt that you let it happen at all." Sean told him quietly. "I felt a little bit betrayed. Maybe I have no right to feel that way. But that's the way I feel."

Elijah looked at him blankly.

"Tell me something." Sean said, taking both of Elijah's hands in his. "If you were in Vancouver and picked up the National Enquirer and saw a picture of ME kissing some girl. Anybody! Even Chris. With a headline about our cozy lunch or evening or whatever. How would YOU feel?"

Elijah stared up at him. He felt his hands resting in Sean's. He thought about what he'd just said and tried to imagine the scene. He saw himself walking into a store, glancing down at a paper, felt the shock of seeing Sean kissing some girl. Any girl. Any guy. Anyone. He felt his heart sink.

"It would hurt me." He said, looking up at Sean. "It would hurt me a lot. And I understand the feeling of betrayal too."

"OK." Sean said, shrugging. "That's all I'm saying. That's how I felt. Irrational or not. It hurt me."

Elijah reached up to touch his hair. "God, Sean. I feel so awful."

"Don't." Sean told him, caressing his cheek. "There's no need for you to feel awful. I know you never meant to hurt me. And I may be over reacting a bit." He shrugged and then shook his head. " And, I might as well say this too." He stopped for a moment and glanced at Elijah. "Jesus! I HATE saying this!" he spat out.

Elijah bit his lip to still his impatience. "Just tell me, Sean." He said quietly.

"I guess," Sean said, looking at the floor. "I felt a bit . . . um . . .jealous."

"That's it?" Elijah asked. "That's it? You felt jealous? That's IT?" He ruffled Sean's hair and then hugged him. "Jesus! You had me worried for a second there."

"Well, yeah, that's it." Sean said, leaning back to look at him. "You wanted MORE?"

Elijah smiled. "Hell, I'm GLAD you're a bit jealous!"

Sean sighed and shook his head. "I can't say I'm wild about it. I just want to be honest with you."

"Why does it bother you?" Elijah asked him. "I'd HATE it if you didn't give a damn what I did!"

Sean sighed again. He got up and roamed back to the front door, staring at the pile of luggage.

"Maybe we should do something with some of this." He said quietly. "You know which one of these has the stuff you want most?" He turned to see if Elijah was listening to him to find that he had followed Sean into the living room. He started to ask Elijah, again, about the luggage but couldn't because his mouth was suddenly being kissed. Kissed very hungrily. Kissed so hard he nearly toppled over into the luggage pile.

"Hey." He said when he was finally released. "What's this for?"

Elijah had his arms around Sean's neck, face buried against his chest. He shook his head and leaned up for another kiss. His hands grasped Sean's hair, mouth pressed against Sean's with passionate intensity. Sean fought to balance them both and silently thanked whatever gods were watching for the wall that was right in back of him when they tipped backwards. Elijah didn't even take a breath. He kept kissing Sean as though he'd never have another chance.

"Lijah." Sean gasped, tearing his mouth away. "Baby, I have to breathe." he laughed, pulling on Elijah's hands to loosen them a bit.

"I'll breathe for you." Elijah murmured, covering Sean's mouth with his again.

Sean leaned back against the wall and pulled Elijah close to him. Gently, he soothed his back and hair. There was something wrong. He could feel it in the frenzy of Elijah's kisses. It was as though he had something to prove.

"But to who?" Sean wondered. "Himself? Or me."

He pulled Elijah's arms down, loosening his death grip on Sean's hair. "Lijah?" he said quietly. "You OK?" Elijah's face was against his chest again. Hands clutching his shirt, sagging against him as though his legs had lost all strength. Sean could feel him trembling. Could feel tears close to the surface.

"God, I . . . I feel so tired, Sean." Elijah said, in a voice thin with exhaustion. "Please can't we just go to bed?"

Suddenly Sean's heart ached unbearably. He was tempted to pick Elijah up and carry him. Every protective instinct Sean had for him had been awakened. He was Sam, wanting to carry his tired Frodo off to safety and sleep. He wrapped Elijah tightly in his arms. "Can you make it, sweetie?" he whispered, rocking him, kissing his hair. "I'll carry you if you want."

Elijah smiled up at him. "You WOULD, wouldn't you. You really would carry me. Just like Sam carried Frodo."

"Yep." Sean murmured into his hair. "Carry you to bed right now if you like."

"No." Elijah said quietly. "Just give me your hand."

Elijah eased out of Sean's arms and took the hand that was held out to him.

"Do you need any of these?" Sean asked, waving at the pile of luggage.

Elijah shook his head. "Let's wade through it tomorrow. OK?"

"Sure."

Sean's hand felt strong and warm. Elijah clung to it and followed Sean into the bedroom. He smiled at how neat and tidy it was. "That's what happens when Sean is here alone for awhile." He thought.

Sean spun him around and sat him down on the bed. He began to unbutton Elijah's shirt while Elijah watched him, smiling. Sean bit his lip as he fumbled with the buttons, totally absorbed in what he was doing. Finally he got them all open. He took Elijah's shirt off, then pulled his T-shirt over his head.

He looked up and returned Elijah's smile. "Stand up." Sean said quietly. Elijah obediently stood up and Sean stripped off the rest of his clothes in a matter of seconds. As he looked at Sean he felt a tremendous flood of love and gratitude. This was a loving and anxious mother tenderly undressing a weary child. There were no romantic or sexual overtones to what Sean was doing. His every move spoke of unconditional love. Love with no strings attached.

Sean grabbed the sheets and blankets and gently tucked Elijah into bed. As he started to rise Elijah grabbed his hand. "Oh, please, Sean! Tell me you're coming to bed too! Please don't leave me."

Sean shook his head. "What's the matter with you? Of course I'm not leaving!"

Sean leaned down to kiss him. "Is it OK if I get undressed first?" he asked with a wink.

Elijah breathed a sigh of relief and watched as Sean took off his clothes. He yearned to have Sean in bed beside him. His body ached to feel Sean's nakedness against his own. When Sean finally slid into bed, Elijah moaned low in his throat and gathered him close.

The feeling of Elijah's body against his forced the breath from Sean's lungs, but he was determined not to get caught up in their love making before he had found out what was eating at Elijah.

"Lijah?" he said softly, leaning back to look into his eyes. "Talk to me a second."

"No. No." Elijah moaned, clinging to him. "Don't want to. Seanie, please, just kiss me." He pulled Sean's lips to his.

Sean kissed him gently, and then pulled his hands down. "Listen to me a minute, Lijah." He said slowly. "I need you to listen to me."

Elijah sighed impatiently. "Fine." He said edgily. "What is it?"

"I know something's bothering you. I can FEEL it!" Sean told him. "It's like you want to make love just to avoid dealing with it or something."

Elijah lowered his eyes, but said nothing.

"Look." Sean told him. "I want to make love to you. You can't imagine how much. But I won't make love with you until I find out what's troubling you. I can't. I can't do it."

He pulled Elijah into his arms and stroked his hair, and felt relieved when Elijah immediately nestled against him. "Now." He whispered against his ear. "What's wrong?"

"I feel terrible." Elijah said, softly. "I feel like the lowest scum alive."

Sean froze. He didn't mean to, but he did. And he hated himself for the first thought that flew into his mind: "He DID sleep with her!"

"What do you feel terrible about?" Sean asked. He took a deep breath. He wanted so much not to react badly if the answer broke his heart. And right now he felt very afraid it might.

"I didn't even realize what I'd done." Elijah murmured in a mournful voice. "What kind of person DOES something like that and is just oblivious to the harm he's done?"

"Does what?" Sean asked, bracing himself and trying hard not to grab Elijah and shake the answer out of him.

"I hurt you!" Elijah said to him sadly. "I did something that hurt you a lot, and I didn't even THINK about it at the time. Stupidly never OCCURED to me that seeing a picture of me kissing some girl might just possibly hurt your feelings! She said: 'Give me a kiss.' and I pecked her. Never thought about it once. Cameras all over the fucking place and it never crossed my mind that you might see the picture and be hurt by it."

Elijah sat up in bed dropped his head for a moment. Then he reached for a cigarette and flicked his lighter.

"That's it?" Sean said. "You're upset because you hurt my feelings?"

"No." Elijah said. "I'm upset because I'm a thoughtless, insensitive jerk and you got hurt because of it."

Sean breathed a huge sigh of relief and Elijah glanced at him sharply. "Why? What did you THINK I was going to say?"

"I had no idea." Sean said softly.

"But you were worried, weren't you." Elijah prodded him. 'Weren't you!"

"I knew something was bothering you. And yeah, that worried me."

"Cagey, Astin." Elijah said with a smile. "Very cagey." Elijah stubbed out his cigarette and flopped on the bed beside Sean. He reached up and smoothed his hair. "You weren't the LEAST worried that I was going to confess something ELSE, huh?"

Sean shrugged.

"Well? Were you?"

"Elijah can we just drop this?" Sean asked in a weary voice. "This really isn't all that much fun for me."

"Nope." Elijah said, pulling on Sean's arm. "Not 'till you confess. You suspected it at least. That I was gonna tell you I shagged her. Didn't you!"

"Yes." Sean said in a miserable voice. " I didn't suspect it. I WAS afraid of it though." He looked at Elijah with sad eyes. "You happy now?"

Elijah smiled and winked at him. "I hate it when you're too perfect."

"No worries there." Sean said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm just trying to tease you out of being sad." Elijah said. He pulled Sean close to him.

Sean relaxed in his arms, hoping that the rest of their night together would be peaceful.

Elijah smiled at him. "We all done fooling around now?" He asked Sean with a grin. "Can we finally get down to some serious love making? I've been thinking about it all day long."

"Ah, you just can't resist me can you." Sean teased, against his cheek.

"Oh?" Elijah countered. "You think that do you?"

Hearing his tone, Sean winced. "Oh no." he thought. "That was really dumb."

Elijah looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You just take your best shot, Astin. We'll just SEE if I can resist you."

Sean sighed. "Do we HAVE to?" he asked hopefully. "Can't we just make nice?"

"Nope." Elijah told him, grinning. 'You challenged me. You were smug. You were a . . . SMART-Ass-tin so to speak. Now we'll see."

Sean eyed him, considering. Then he grinned too. "OK, Elijah." He said sweetly. "We'll just see whether or not you can resist me."

Elijah giggled. "You're gonna lose, Sean!" he taunted. "Loooooser! Astin's gonna blow it!"

"Oh, I'm going to BLOW it am I!" Sean said with an even bigger grin.

"No! No!" Elijah said, holding up both hands and laughing. "None of that. That's not fair, Sean."

"YOU didn't say there were any rules." Sean said. "But. Fine. I'll win without resorting to that. In fact . . ." Sean whispered "I won't touch you below the waist." He leaned closer to Elijah and put his mouth right next to Elijah's ear. "I won't have to." He whispered hoarsely.

Elijah caught his breath, already starting to think that this was a bet he couldn't possibly win.

Sean's arm wound around Elijah's waist and tightened slowly. Inescapably. He looked down at Elijah with half closed eyes, not really seeming to see him. Suddenly he wrenched Elijah's body roughly against his. Elijah gasped again, surprised. This kind of handling wasn't like Sean.

Elijah looked up at him quickly, trying to gauge his mood. Sean's eyes were dark and brooding. There was an edge to him that Elijah had never felt before. "Sean?" he asked tentatively. But Sean shook his head as if to ward off Elijah's questions and cupped Elijah's face with one hand, lifting his lips to Sean's.

Sean's hand held Elijah's face, immovable. His lips brushed against Elijah's, and his mouth slowly opened. "You're going to tell me you can't resist me." Sean whispered into Elijah's mouth. "You're going to ask me to make love to you." Sean bit gently on Elijah's lower lip, running his tongue teasingly across his mouth. Then his teeth moved to Elijah's jaw. Nibbling him. Tasting him.

Elijah gasped again, almost ready to end the bet. His body was on fire, wanting Sean, and he regretted his teasing challenge. Sean's hands moved down his body, digging his fingernails into Elijah's skin. His teeth nipped at Elijah's neck, throat, and shoulders. He could feel Elijah trembling. Feel the tension in his body as Sean continued to lick and gently bite his skin. Sean's hands suddenly moved back to Elijah's hair and clenched there, pulling Elijah's mouth against his with almost brutal force.

He'd never been this rough with Elijah before and the rawness of his passion nearly sent Elijah over the edge. Sean's hands and lips began to move over his body again. Caressing his arms. Kissing his chest. Elijah was trying to breathe deeply, and Sean smiled. "I taught him that." He thought. "But it's not going to work this time, Elijah."

His arm went around Elijah's waist and pulled him tight against Sean's body. His other hand swept slowly over Elijah's body, fingernails dragging on his skin from his face to his waist. Across his chest. Down his arm. Dropping nibbling kisses on his face and neck.

Fascinated, Sean watched tiny beads of sweat appear on Elijah's temple as he tried to resist Sean's slow, fierce caresses. Elijah's teeth were clenched. He moaned slightly and one hand suddenly grasped the sheet and clenched it tight. Sean smiled, sure he was about to win. But Elijah began to breathe deeply again and seemed to get control of himself. Sean slowed his breathing to match Elijah's, giddy with oxygen deprivation and the ache of wanting.

Still holding Elijah tightly he leaned over and began to lick and kiss his throat, then he slowly moved his mouth down to touch a nipple with his tongue. He felt Elijah's hand move instantly to the back of his head. Heard him moan. He licked softly at the nipple. Heard a whimper. Sucked softly. Heard a louder whimper.

Sean lifted his head. Elijah was grasping the sheet again and his head was thrashing from side to side. Sean leaned into his body and pressed his mouth against Elijah's ear. "Ready to give up, baby?" he murmured. Elijah shook his head slightly, but Sean could hear him breathing in ragged gasps. He slowly ran his tongue over Elijah's ear. Nibbling, blowing in it softly, licking gently, kissing.

It was it for Elijah. "Oh. Oh. Sean, please." He moaned.

"Oh no." Sean said, his own breathing coming fast and hard. "There's something you have to say to me first."

"I can't resist you!" Elijah moaned. "OK? Please, Sean!"

"You have to ask me to make love to you." Sean reminded him, continuing to lick and kiss his ear, his throat, the line of his jaw.

"Oh. Seanie." Elijah whimpered. "Oh. . . god . . please . . . make love to me. Sean. . . god . . . god." He arched his body up, hands clenched in Sean's hair, pulling on him, trying desperately to drag Sean's body on top of his.

Sean threw his body on top of Elijah's, pressing his hips frantically against him. Elijah whimpered and arched off the mattress, pulling Sean closer with his arms, his legs, his entire being.

In a matter of moments they convulsed against each other, crying out each other's names, clinging to each other as they exploded in sensation.

Elijah's arms were tight around Sean's neck. He buried his face against him, still whimpering. "You win. You win." He breathed in a shaky voice.

Sean felt suddenly ashamed. "God, sweetie. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to 'win'. I wish we hadn't done this."

Elijah clung even tighter to him. "No." he said in a stronger voice. "I'M the one who should be saying they're sorry." He loosened his arms and leaned back to look at Sean. "And I AM sorry, Seanie." He gazed up into his eyes for a long moment. " Are you mad at me?" he asked finally.

"No." Sean told him quietly. "I was never mad. Just hurt a bit."

Elijah leaned back against him and snuggled into his neck. "God, I don't want to have to hear any more about the picture." He sighed.

"You won't." Sean said. "At least from ME you won't." He was laughing softly.

Elijah leaned back, instantly alert. ""What!" he demanded.

"Well." Sean said with a big grin. "The last time I saw Orlando he had the picture in his hand and was on his way to get it blown up as big as he could get it. God knows where he intends to put it."

"Oh my god." Elijah moaned. "I'm never leaving the house again."

Sean laughed and hugged him tight. "Go to sleep. I'll try to throw a rope on Orli tomorrow."

He felt Elijah relax against him and in moments his breathing was even and slow. He'd try to stop Orlando from teasing Elijah about it any more. Elijah had heard enough about 'the picture'. And so had Sean.


End file.
